Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Cinco De Mayo represents so many things to me every year! Okay, well in reality it usually just means great Mexican food, but this year it represents a little more. 

First of all, it represents my best friend's daughter's 1 year birthday! Happy Birthday Melody! I went to her birthday party on Sunday and it was the cutest party ever. It was Cinco De Mayo themed since that's when she was born and everything from the cake down to the games and decorations were just adorable! 

In addition to great food, and excellent company, Cinco De Mayo also represents 6 lbs of weight loss in less than 2 days! That sounds wonderful. I mean I lost 6 lbs in a day and a half. How did I do it, you ask? I got a stomach virus!! Yeah, not so much worth the weight loss, especially when that means I must be super dehydrated. 

But all is better now, and since my poor husband hasn't had a home cooked meal in almost a week ((from his wife that is; his mom has filled in a few times, which has been wonderful). I'd normally do some big Mexican themed meal tonight, but quite honestly, the thought of the smell of food still makes my stomach turn a little. But even still, I think I'm throw together some nachos and stick them in the broiler for about 3 minutes, then dive into the bedroom and eat some jello. 

And if you'd like some ideas for a Cinco De Mayo themed meal tonight, here are some things I wish I could make! Please note that these are not my pictures. I'd love to have cooked something for today's post, but I'm afraid most of my meals would be pictures of jello, applesauce, 7-up, and pretzel sticks, since that's what has made up my meals for the past 3 days. Not so Cinco De Mayo!

So here are some ideas!

Chicken Nachos (which like I said, is what I'll be doing tonight):

* Rotisserie chicken (store bought or homemade)

* Tortilla chips

* Grated cheese or queso (I recommend queso)

* Condiments or other toppings (sour cream, green onions, chives, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, jalapenos, olives, fresh cilantro)

Pour tortilla chips into a glass pie plate (or oven safe dish) and top with diced or shredded rotisserie chicken. Pour queso over chicken and add jalapenos (if that's your thing). Set your oven to a high broil and cook for 2 minutes. Check and if not yet done, cook another minute, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. Top with your favorite toppings or condiments. If using sour cream or guacamole, place a dollop in the middle of the nachos on the serving plate. 

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Sour Cream Cheese Enchiladas:

* Corn tortillas (about 10-12 or more)

*  At least 2C Grated cheese (I like pepper jack for spice and cheddar)

* Red enchilada sauce (1 regular size can - Use 2 if not using sour cream)

* 1/2 C Sour cream (optional)

Grate cheese and set aside. If using more than one type of cheese, then combine them together. Place tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper town. Stick them in the microwave for about 25 seconds or until warm. Pour enchilada sauce into a bowl and stir in sour cream (if using) with a whisk. Dip a tortilla into the sauce until coated. 

Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, because it's worth it! Place the coated tortilla in your hand and add some cheese. Don't skimp; you want these packed with cheese, so fill them as much as you can. Roll the filled tortilla up and place in a large casserole dish. Repeat until all tortillas are coated, filled and rolled. Top with queso and remaining sauce. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Add any toppings you'd like, such as green onions, more sour cream, olives, etc. Enjoy!

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Tacos:

* Taco shells (as much as I can't stand Taco Bell, I love their Taco shells. You can find them at any grocery store)

* Taco seasoning (if you're lazy, or 1 TBS Cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp cayenne or paprika)

* Ground turkey (or beef) or even cooked chicken

* Fresh cilantro 

* Condiments (sour gream, guacamole, tomatoes, etc)

Brown meat (or cook chicken) and add seasonings. Place in taco shells and place condiments on the table so guests can help themselves. By "guests" I mean starving children, hungry husbands, nosy dogs, and yourself, of course. You can also serve with some black beans, Mexican rice (see below), and chips and salsa (see below). 

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Taco Salad:

Now here's the thing with taco salads; they are very diverse. One place might offer a taco salad consisting of chips and taco fillings like meat, cheese, etc, while another place offers a massive taco bowl shell thing with taco fillings inside, leaving out the chips. It's really up to your own personal preference, but I personally love a big taco bowl! If you like the chips, then feel free to use the taco directions above and just throw it on top of some chips, instead of stuffing it into taco shells. 

But, if you're like me, you'll need to take another approach! It's a super easy one, so don't worry. Basically, you'll just follow the taco directions, omitting the shells, and using these bad boys instead:

Azteca salad shells! And let me tell you, these things are super easy to make! You can usually find them at Walmart over by the refrigerated bagels or cream cheese. Strange, right? Yeah I know, but I guess they don't know where else to put them. Anyway, when you open the package, they just look like thick flour tortillas. 

They give you little cardboard things to shape them over, and all you do is basically bake them for a few minutes. They are truly easy and make excellent shells every time! So if you use these things, just bake them first of course, and then fill with whatever your little heart desires. Also, make sure to use some kind of sauce like queso or salsa, as they can make things a little dry, otherwise.